2026 PCG Activity Calendar

Mar 1       Membership Due$ ‘Early Deadline’ to E. Tress - Dues: $20 half plot / $40 full plot.

Mar 15     Membership Due$ ‘Final Deadline’ to E. Tress - Dues: $30 half plot / $50 full plot; 

                                                                                         plot forfeited after deadline.

Mar 22     Spring Member Mtg  Sun 4-5:30 pm  TBD 

Apr TBD   New Member Orientation (Mandatory; individually scheduled with Mich Brisson)

                       

Apr 11      Spring Communal Weeding & Cleaning 

                 Sat 10a - 2p  (Rain Date  Sat 4/18)

Apr 12 or 19  Special Work Party – Sanding the Walkways

                 Sun 11a - 2p  Stephanie 

Apr 15      Deadline to weed & clean your plot 

Apr 26      Spring Communal Weeding & Cleaning

                 Sun 12-3p  (Rain Date  Sun 5/3)

May 16     Communal Weeding & Cleaning - Spring Weeds

                 Sat, 10a-2p  (Rain Date  Sun 5/17, noon-3p)

May 31     Deadline for planting all plots

Jun 17      Solstice Communal Work Prep Garden & Parelli Park - Bindweed

                 Wed 5-7p (Rain date  Thurs 6/18)

Jun 20      Summer Solstice Picnic in Parelli Park, Sat 6-10p 

                 (Rain date  Sun 6/21, 6-10p (Father’s Day) OR Sat 6/27, 6-10p)

July 15     Communal Work & Weeding - Crabgrass  Wed 5-7p

                 (Rain/Heat date  Wed 7/16, 5-7 pm)

Aug 10     Communal Work & Weeding? Grasses  

                Mon 5-7p  (Rain/Heat date  Wed 8/12, 5-7p)

Sep 9      Communal Work & Weeding? Most Weeds are Seeding up!

                Wed 5-7p  (Rain date  Thur 9/10, 5-7p)

,

Oct 3       Communal Work & Weeding 

                Sat 10a-2p  (Rain date  Sat 10/17, 10a-Noon)

Oct 11     Last Communal Work & Weeding - Cleanup  Sun Noon-3p

                (Rain date  Sun 10/18, Noon-3p)

Nov 1      Fall Member Mtg  Sun 4-5:30p  TBD (Did you turn your clocks back?)

Dec 1      Deadline to clean & weed plot for Winter

Dec 19    Winter Solstice Bonfire  Garden Driveway  

                   Sat 6:15-8a Early Morning!!   (Rain/Snow date  Sun 12/20, 6:15a)

NOTE:   1. Participation in organized Communal Work & Weeding goes toward fulfilling membership 

                  requirements of 6 work hours in the communal areas.

              2. Rain dates and cancellations will be posted on the front Garden Gate.

              3. Pop-up events during the season are often on a Wed. or Thur.  Check your email for date & time.    

John Jeavon's Fertilizer Mix

For Gardeners who wish to mix their own fertilizer, here is a recipe from Joan Gussow's notes.

    

For a half plot mix:

4 c.  Blood Meal

1 c.  Bonemeal (overfill the cup)

1 c.  Rock Phosphate

3 c.  Greensand

1 c.  Eggshells (opt)

 

Greensand 0-0-7

Optional

 

Harvesting Garlic in July and Curing It for Storage

THE SCAPES

In June, the scapes, which are the flower stalk of your hard-necked varieties, will start to grow. Do cut them and use in cooking. Don't wait until they fully uncurl or they can get tough and even woody. If you fail to cut the scapes, they can draw energy from the plant and the bulbs may not be as large.

READY?

If you planted garlic last fall and have kept the garlic patch well-weeded (garlic hates competition of any kind in its patch) and if you have watered it well until  around May 20, then on the Solstice –– June 21–– your garlic will happily and literally stop growing.  Its beautiful green leaves will start to turn brown over the next weeks. Note the hard necked garlic above on June 23. This requires monitoring carefully starting in late June/early July.  If you are going to eat all your garlic as soon as you harvest, you need not read further.  But, if you want to store it for any period of time, make sure the bulb has enough cover to protect it. Do not let all the leaves turn brown before digging!! Each bulb should be harvested when there are about 4-5 green leaves left. Each one of those leaves is responsible for that papery covering you see on the heads in the grocery store. That's what protects the head from deteriorating. Often harvest begins around July 4 in our Garden but it can be sooner depending the those leaves!

HARVESTING

Once you are ready to harvest, dig carefully around the bulb to lift it intact without wounding it or it will not store well.  Remove the excess dirt taking care not to damage that outer papery layer on the bulb.  

CURING

Nor will it store well if you fail to cure it.  To begin curing, bundle the hard-necked garlic (or braid the soft-necked) and hang it in a place with good air circulation out of the sunlight or with minimal sunlight.  Curing takes about 3-6 weeks.  Once curing is finished, cut the long pieces of the roots off and store in a cool, dry place. Soft-necked garlic stores longer than hard-necked (8 mos vs 6 mos or less) but many prefer to grow hard-necked for its great flavor! Soft-necked garlic is always available in the store year round. Not so with hard-necked, although it often can be found during the summer at Farmer's Markets.

Clueless about When to Plant? Try Phenology, Nature's Clues!

When lilacs are in full bloom,
plant beans, cucumbers & squash

.

For centuries farmers have observed the relationship between climate and the life cycles of plants and animals. The study of this phenomenon is known as Phenology. The science behind Phenology points to soil temperature and what temperature various seeds need to germinate.

Here are some of nature's clues from the science of Phenology:

WHEN:

• Crocus blooms plant RADISHES, PARSNIPS & SPINACH
• Forsythia blooms and daffodils begin to bloom and you hear Spring Peepers, sow PEAS, ONION SETS & LETTUCE
• The first dandelion blooms, plant POTATOES, CARROTS, SPINACH & BEETS
• Lilacs are in first leaf, plant BEETS, CARROTS, COLE crops (ie: broccoli, cabbage, etc), LETTUCE and SPINACH
• Apple trees bloom plant BUSH BEANS
• Apple blossoms fall plant POLE BEANS & CUCUMBERS
• Lilacs are in full bloom or have faded, plant BEANS, CUCUMBERS, SQUASHES & TENDER ANNUALS
• Lily-of-the-valley is in full bloom and daylilies begin to bloom plant TOMATOES
• Bearded irises bloom, plant EGGPLANT, MELONS, and PEPPERS
• Peonies blossom it is safe to plant heat-loving melons such as CANTALOUPE.

Planting vegetables is not the only area of gardening to seek clues from nature. Clues are also given for the appearance of insects. Phenology can be used as a guide to scout for insects.

WHEN: 

• Redbud is in early bloom watch for FLEA BEETLES
• Redbud is in early bloom to full bloom watch for the ASPARAGUS BEETLES & CABBAGEWORMS
• Valerian is in bloom the COLORADO POTATO BEETLE will go after your potatoes, eggplant and peppers
• Foxglove blossoms are in early bloom the MEXICAN BEAN BEETLE LARVAE begin munching
• Chicory is in early bloom, look for the SQUASH VINE BORERS
• Morning Glories begin to grow, look for JAPANESE BEETLES

From the May/Jun 2003 issue of Organic Gardening, and other sources.  

See also:

What Is Phenology: Information On Phenology In Gardens

Why Does the Kale Taste Better Harvested after First Frost?

Kale is a cold-hardy vegetable.  For a long time I've wondered why it tastes better in the Fall than in Summer.  I finally found an answer in Jeff Ashton's book The 12-Month Gardener: Simple Strategies for Extending Your Growing Season.  He says, "...collards, mustard greens, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and kale will mature very well in the summer, but that doesn't mean they should be harvested in hot weather."

Why?  They are bitter (to varying degrees) he notes, when harvested then.

Why?  "Sugar (generated by photosynthesis) is the fuel that allows a plant to breathe.  In times of high stress, hardy plants are using every bit of sugar available to stay alive.  Bitterness is a result of sugar depletion during these periods of high stress when temperatures soar and the soil is dry."   Ashton observes, as do I, that they become much sweeter after being hit by a couple of frosts.

Why?  "The reason for this" he says, "is that the rate of respiration in hardy vegetables slows down in cool weather.  As the season progresses into cooler weather, excess or unused sugar is stored."  Mmmm.  Hence, sweeter leaves!

HARVESTING
In summer, if you must harvest your kale, make sure it is well-watered ahead and harvest after a couple of cloudy days for a sweeter experience.  Otherwise, wait until Fall's frosts have hit to experience the optimum flavor.

In our Garden, kale has been observed to winter over, especially if covered even lightly with the spun material (often called Reemay) that lets in sunlight and rain. Harvest can even take place during winter on more mild days.  I harvested both curly and lacinato (dinosaur) kale this week.

Beware! During the Fall and Winter, whiteflies can be a pest you don't want to bring indoors, especially if you have houseplants.  Shake harvested leaves while still in the Garden and wash well or submerge in water to remove any remaining flies before bringing indoors.

Weeds' Patient & Prolific Progeny – Know Thine Enemy

The information below is sobering to keep in mind when dancing with weeds and letting them go to seed.  Some of those seeds will be viable long after we have become part of the earth in which they germinate!

Bindweed flowering

WEED SEEDS PRODUCED per PLANT 

and NUMBER of YEARS VIABLE

Many of these are in our Garden Plots

Bindweed 40 yrs   Long-lived perennial with deep root system – never let it seed!

Curly dock Rumex crispus  29,500   70 yrs

Foxtail   20 yrs

Canada Thistle   21 yrs

Crabgrass  8,000

Dandelions  100-200 seeds/head  6 yrs  Germinates immediately after reaching maturity...it has no after-ripening requirements. Seed keeps in a ziplock bag in a refrigerator for 2 years with extremely high germination.

Evening Primrose  70 yrs

Galinsoga ciliata   7,500    10 yrs + in soil

Lambsquarters Chenopodum album  72,450    7% viable after 38 yrs

Mullein Verbascum thapsus   223,200,   70 yrs

Nutsedge  100 – 2,000 

Pigweed (redroot)  117,400   10-40 yrs

Plantain Plantago major  36,000  40 yrs

Purslane Portulaca oleracea  52,300    40 yrs

Redroot pigweed Amaranthus spp  117,400   3 yrs Unknown viability after 38 yrs

Shepherd's purse Capselia bursa-pastoris 38,500   16 yrs

Smartweed  19,300

Ragweed (Common)  3,380   39 yrs

HOW to GROW WEEDS:

• Seed germination occurs at or very near the soil surface. 
• Light increases germination. 
• The seed germinates when soil is moist and soil temperature is at least 50°F; however, germination is more rapid when the soil temperatures are closer to 77°F. 
• Germination occurs throughout the growing season.

Watch for the Preying Mantis Hatching in the Garden!

Late May is Preying Mantis hatching time!  In 2016 this casing hatched on May 23.  On the left is a new hatchling perhaps waiting for a sibling to emerge and become a  tasty morsel.  On the right, a hatchling is poised to leap off its casing.

When full grown in fall and almost 3 inches long, these predators are capable of capturing and eating a hummingbird.  Meanwhile, they indiscriminately eat insects by remaining still, changing color to blend in and waiting patiently for their next meal to come within striking distance. 

One fall as I was harvesting basil, I almost cut one in half.  It had blended in with the basil  perfectly. At the last moment I noticed movement as the head swiveled to look up at the approaching scissors. Later she rewarded me by leaving an egg casing attached to that very basil plant. 

March 2022 UPDATE on Praying Mantids

This Spring, we collected as many Asian Praying Mantis egg casings as we could find (about 11) and removed them from the Garden. In September, 2021 we discovered a carpet of Monarch wings in Ellie's bed of zinnias. The photo here is of a plate of some of those wings from that event. A praying mantis had lain in wait in the zinnias and methodically attacked each butterfly that came to nectar there. She ate the body, leaving the wings to fall to the ground. The female needs a lot of protein in the Fall to lay her eggs. 

The Asian mantids are indiscriminate in their hunting and by September are quite formidable, even capable of killing a hummingbird. They out-compete our native Carolina Mantis which has been moving north and has been reported near NYC.

May Weeds

INDIAN MOCK STRAWBERRIES among the real ones!

MAY 1
Early in my gardening I nurtured one of these plants (Potentilla indica, formerly Duchesnea indica), mistaking it for a strawberry. I finally discovered its true nature. They still appear in the Garden.

How to distinguish them from the real ones? I find the leaves are softer and fuzzier, while those of the strawberry tend to be a bit leathery. If the flower is yellow, it’s definitely not a strawberry — the tasty edible strawberry flowers are white.

The berry of the Duchesnea indica (sometimes known 
as Potentilla indica) –  flowers around the beginning of May as does the true strawberry. Pull this ‘weed’ if you find one in your bed and put it in the compost bin.

For those who are interested in its medicinal & edible use visit Bellarmine University to find out about the positive qualities of this weed. Both the fruit and leaves are edible and medicinal.

YELLOW NUTSEDGE SEEDLINGS 

MID-MAY they begin appearing in the Garden!  Check out the Community Garden's Yellow Nutsedge Wins Community Garden Weed of the Year Award!.

Some already have little nuts attached to the roots. Remember, it’s those little nuts that survive the winter to reappear next Spring. Try to dig up the nutsedge before they have more than 3 leaves. And, don’t let the leaves fool you. They superficially resemble grass but are thicker and stiffer than most grasses. Notice that the leaf is V-shaped in cross-section, not flat. They also emerge in sets of three from the base rather than sets of two like grasses. Don’t let it get to the flowering stage. But if you do, look at the flowering stems — cut them and see that nutsedges are triangular in cross-section while grass stems are hollow and round.

The nutlets I've dug at this time are young — whitish and not brown like in the photo. They break off easily, so loosen the soil around the plant first and gently pull the weed out and put it in the trash. As these plants mature, they send out rhizomes to make a nice little Yellow Nutsedge colony.

If you find a small patch of nutsedge, Clemson Cooperative Extension recommends digging “at least 10 inches deep and at least eight to 10 inches beyond the diameter of the above ground leafy portion of the plant.” This is one wily weed!

Check this website Virginia Tech Weed ID by Scientific Name for photos of weeds in various stages of growth.

The National Gardening Association has extensive articles on Weeds such as this article on Indian Mockstrawberry with photos.

Galinsoga – Modest in the Spring, It Gallops through the Garden in September & October

Galinsoga Seedling

Galinsoga parviflora, and Galinsoga ciliata, known also as Quickweed or Gallant Soldier, are easily pulled when young. You start seeing this subtropical annual in spring. It produces multiple generations (as many as 7500 seeds per plant per year), hence we see it galloping through the Garden in September and October before first frost if we are not vigilant in the Spring.  

Do not compost this particular weed.  The small white flowers you see produce many seeds which mature almost immediately – a great survival strategy for this little weed that has shallow roots and no rhizomes or reproduction by cuttings.  Dispose of it in the vegetative pile out front for the DPW to pick up. Correspondingly, before using your weeding tools elsewhere, clean off the soil as their tiny seeds can be present in it..

Galinsoga Gone to Seed

On the positive side, their presence indicates adequate to high nitrogen in the soil. And although considered by us a weed, other parts of the world use it culinarily and medicinally. Their young greens & stems are high in minerals and can be cooked and eaten. 

See Galinsoga – Love It or Hate It for more info on its nutrition and uses.  For more on this weed and other "Weeds of the Month" visit the July 22, 2016 Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Weed of the Month: Galinsoga. For strategies on controlling, it visit the University of Vermont's Galinsoga Management.

WINTER SOLSTICE in the GARDEN

2017

Our predawn bonfire celebrates the end of the year's longest night,

and the sun's ascent as the embers die.

Joan 

Mich tends the fire while we stand vigil watching for the rising sun with Nakai's flute playing in the background.

Joan Gussow, our foundress, started this tradition.  In 1995, a few Gardeners and her husband Alan met in their backyard on a very cold morning and stood around the fire burning in the barbecue pit while awaiting the sun.  The following year Joan, with permission from the Fire Dept, built the bonfire in her driveway and opened it up to Gardeners and friends. One solstice, the embers were flying high and all over.  A Piermont policeman was just coming off duty and stopped by to investigate. Joan went out to explain that we were cheering on the sun to come up.  He encouraged us to carry on and drove off!

Dan Sherman spontaneously quoted Emily Dickinson at our gathering:

I’ll tell you how the sun rose -

A ribbon at a time.

The steeple swam in amethyst, 

the news like squirrels ran.